Zara was unique. She possessed the beauty of a goddess. She had beautiful green eyes which were mostly on the huge side. They looked like emeralds. Her skin was rosy white and her teeth were as white as snow. She had the most beautiful red locks and had the voice of an angel. Despite of her out of this world beauty, she had the most loving and kind heart. Everybody loved Zara. She was the envy of many young women.

Zara came from a humble background. Her parents were poor farmers. There was famine in the land and it had not rained for many months. The plants had lost their lovely green colour in exchange for a sickly yellow undertone. The hay to feed animals became hard to find and as such, the animal produce greatly reduced. The famine especially affected Zara's parents badly because their foothold was in farming.

One day there was a party in the tiny kingdom and all young people had planned to attend. Zara wanted to go as all her friends had talked her into it. Her parents however were skeptical of the idea. She pleaded with them but even as the day of the party drew near, they held their firm - No! Zara had so much respect for her parents but the pressure from her friends caused her to keep begging her parents to let her go.

Finally at the day the party was to be held, after Zara had cried her heart out, her parents gave in but reluctantly. Zara was as happy as a clam as she dressed for the party. She didn't have much clothes but even in the simple peasant girl dresses,she always remained the fairest.

Today she wore her best dress which was purple with a deep pink ribbon running arround the waist-line. It was nothing grand but she shone like the venus in a dark sky. All eyes were on her and this stirred up some hidden feelings in the hearts of her friends. They didn't like the fact that all young men in the kingdom only fought for the attention of Zara.

Zara sang with grace and lavishness as everyone looked in wonder. She wasn't with her friends when they hatched a plot against her. The kind hearted and loving Zara loved and trusted them. She had never noticed that they were not for her. As the party came to a halt, it was still dark. Zara walked home with her friends unsuspiciously. She noticed that they were walking in a different direction from the part of town where they all inhabited. They were walking instead towards a very old uninhabited part of the town which had been said to be haunted. No one ever dared to go that area which people had nick-named as 'Hells gate.'

Zara was alarmed and she asked her friends why they were going that way but before she could lay her point well on the table, they seized her and beat her brutally until she passed out and then threw her into an old well at 'Hells gate.' Then they walked to their homes after taking an oath never to tell anyone about the incident. Zara's parents waited for her but in vain. They went around the town asking if Zara had been seen and all the young people acknowledged to seeing her at the party but they all seemed not to know what happenned to her after the party.

Many days passed and Zara's parents grew weary of crying. They sang many dirges about Zara's dissapearance. The kingdom had searched for the fair maiden everywhere with no trace.

One day, a prince from a nearby kingdom which was much bigger, wealthier and very developed had visited Zara's kingdom. Stories of the fairest maiden who looked like a goddess had reached him at one point and now he felt it was time to travel and see if all said about this maiden was true . As his chariot moved into the kingdom, he heard a sweet but sad melody.

"I sing in a place unknown.

Would somebody hear me now?

Would somebody hear me now?

Help me, save me and tell

Mama and Papa that am here. Am here! am here!am here!"

From where it came from,he couldn't tell. The voice seemed weak but sweet beyond words. He commanded his servants to search the area. Then alas! the voice was coming from an old well! The prince told his servants to get the singer from the well. They did just that and out came a maiden who looked angelic. Her beauty radiated like the sun. Her smile was gentle and bewitching . Her emerald green eyes were breath-taking. Her long and thick red hair was the tiara that crowned all her glory. The prince marvelled and so did his servants. The horses looked in awe ! The world seemed to stop just to admire Zara. She was simply a creation that was out of this world!

Zara was weak and couldn't walk. She explained the whole ordeal of how her friends and beaten her and threw her into the well. The prince carried Zara into his chariot and took her to her parents who had grown weak from many days of crying and hunger strike as they had mourned for their fair daughter. They were so happy to see Zara back and were very thankful to the handsome prince Henry as they came to know him.

When people in the kingdom heard that Zara was found,they all poured in to welcome her apart from her wicked friends who had gone into hiding. The whole kingdom fished them out though and attempted to kill them but the kind hearted Zara pleaded them not to. She forgave her friends for their wicked act and hugged them. They cried in shame and guilt as Zara's acts of forgiveness,love and kindness touched their stony hearts deeply. They turned a new leaf.

Prince Henry and Zara were married in a grand wedding. Something strange happenned on the wedding day. The rains commenced after the ceremony. Her parents retained their farming profession no more but with the help of Prince Henry became a very wealthy business people. They all lived happily ever after!